Energy Consumption and Product Quality of Off-ground Harvested Almonds under Hot Air Column Drying

Abstract This study was conducted to develop an efficient drying method for off-ground harvested almonds. The whole almonds of three varieties (Nonpareil, Monterey and Fritz) were dried in a column dryer at different temperatures (45, 50, 55 and 60 oC) and air velocities (1.0 and 2.0 m/s). The drying time ranged from 2.5 to 6 hours. No cavity, no color change, no significant concealed damage and no deterioration of oil quality were observed under the tested conditions (p